Climate change affects countries in Eastern Europe, i.e. the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe in a variety of ways. Apart from severe floods, there are records of decreasing water reserves in the southern part, and of gradual changes in biodiversity and agricultural production. In the South Caucasus area, for instance, climate change models project decline in precipitation by the end of the century, and suggest that it will continue to become drier this century.

Many Eastern European countries, especially the non-EU ones, are characterised by the fact that national climate policies on the one hand, and transboundary collaboration on the other are rather week, and by the fact that the engagement of the general public on matters related to climate change is still rather limited. Climate change thus poses a serious threat to the economic stability and development of many Eastern European countries, and to the sustainable development of the region.

The above state of affairs illustrates the need for a better understanding of how climate change influences Eastern Europe, and for the identification of processes, methods and tools which may help the countries and the communities in the region to adapt. There is also a perceived need to showcase successful examples of how to cope with the social, economic and political problems posed by floods/droughts in the region, especially the ways of increasing the resilience of agriculture systems and of communities.

It is against this background that the “International Scientific Conference on Climate Change Adaptation in Eastern Europe” is being organized by the University of Banja Luka, University of Belgrade, the Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management” of the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany), The International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCIP), Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency of the Republika Srpska, and Center for Climatic Research (CCR Banja Luka). The Conference will be a truly interdisciplinary event, mobilizing scholars, social movements, practitioners and members of governmental agencies, undertaking research and/or executing projects focusing on climate change in Eastern Europe.

The “International Scientific Conference on Climate Change Adaptation in Eastern Europe” will focus on “Managing risks and building resilience to climate change”, meaning that it will serve the purpose of showcasing experiences from research, field projects and best practice to foster climate change adaptation among countries in the region, which may be useful or implemented elsewhere.